Spain has long been the world’s most popular holiday destination for British tourists.
In fact, Brits made up the biggest proportion of the record-breaking 94 million tourists Spain welcomed in 2024.
While we’re huge fans of paella and pintxos, it seems Spaniards aren’t so impressed with us. Backlash to mass tourism has snowballed in the past year, with locals complaining of overcrowding and short-term rentals wiping out affordable housing in tourist hotspots.
Sunday saw demonstrations across southern Europe, with thousands attending marches the Spanish cities of Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca. Events also took place in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, as well as Venice and Genoa, in northwest Italy.
Activists in Barcelona sprayed tourists with water pistols, saying some of them treat their city like an ‘amusement park’.
As a result, Spain’s local authorities have rolled out new rules for visitors.
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So, if you’re planning on heading to Spain or the Canary Islands this summer, here’s what you need to know.
Full list of Spanish tourist rules travellers should know
Tourist tax
Spain is implementing two new tourist taxes that will impact holidaymakers travelling to different parts of the country.
Tax 1:
Where: The Balearic Islands – Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza or Formentera.
When: It’s unclear. The new measures are awaiting approval.
How much will it cost: Overnight tourist charges could rise from £3.36 to £5.04 per person per night. Rates will vary depending on the quality of your accommodation, with guests at four and five-star hotels paying the most in June, July and August.
This means holidaymakers in luxury accommodation will pay £35.31 per person per week – a rise of £11.77.
Cruise ship passengers will be worse off, with overnight charges increasing by 200% from £1.68 to up to £5.04 per person per night.
Exemptions: These charges do not apply to tourists who visit in January or February. Children under 16 are also exempt.
Tax 2:
Where: Barcelona.
When: By the end of 2025.
How much will it cost: Tourist tax is set to double, reaching up to £12.40 per person per night – again this is dependent on the quality of accommodation.
Currently, the maximum fee is £6.20 for guests in five-star hotels and £4.70 for guests in four-star hotels. Those staying in flats are charged £5.20.
Tourists visiting wider Catalonia will be charged between 99p and £4.95 per day.
Exemptions: Children under 16 are exempt.
The six-drink cap
Once upon a time, all-inclusive deals meant you could guzzle down as much food and booze as you could manage.
However, following a rise in disorderly behaviour in 2024, Spain’s Balearic government has clamped down on boozy Brits.
On the party islands of Mallorca and Ibiza, guests now have a six-drink limit. Under the rules, you can have three drinks at lunch, and a further three at dinner.
However, the cap only applies to regions that have been badly affected by disruptive guests.
On Magaluf’s infamous strip, pub crawls have also been banned.
Where: Playa de Palma, S’Arenal and Magaluf, all in Majorca, and the West End of San Antonio, Ibiza.
Walking tour caps
Where: Mallorca.
There’s also been a crackdown on walking tours, specifically in Palma. New requirements will see tours limited to 20 people per group, which will likely make them more expensive.
But it’s not yet clear how these group numbers will be monitored. These caps don’t apply to the Balearic Islands, so walking tours are still able to accommodate up to 70 people.
Currency changes
Brits are more likely to reach for cash when paying for something on holiday than we are at home, according to ABTA Travel Money, but if you’re going to Spain, you might want to think again.
That’s because the European country is implementing currency changes which could see your bank notes be rejected when you try to buy something.
As of July, if you attempt to use any crumpled or worn €50 notes, it’s unlikely they’ll be accepted by retailers, due to the central bank’s plans to withdraw damaged notes from circulation to tackle fraud.
Other note values like €5, €10 and €20 should all be fine, but the €50 is being targeted by banks because its among the most susceptible to counterfeiting and being damaged by anti-theft protection systems at cash points.
Banned beach items and behaviour
Where: Gran Canaria.
Authorities released a new list of banned items on the beaches of Gran Canaria in March, and using any of this contraband on Spanish sand could see you hit with a £2,500 fine.
You can’t:
- Smoke or vape
- Play music in sunbathing areas – this includes beaches, promenades and coastal areas
- Cook on the beach
- Use an umbrella for shade
- Put up any type of tent or shelter
- Reserve spots on sun decks and bathing platforms
- Collect any shells or rocks from the beach or the water, or turn over stones without returning them to their original position
- Have public sex – although that one is self-explanatory
- Obstruct any access routes or walkways
- Misuse public showers or foot-washing stations e.g. by wasting water or using the water to fill containers, or washing with soap
- Fish with a rod within 150 metres of bathing zones or near divers
Fines: Breaking these rules means you’ll have to pay authorities £25 to £629 for a minor infraction, £630 to £1,258 for a serious infraction, and fines of up to £2,517 for a very serious violation.
It’s not clear what is considered a minor, serious or very serious offence, so don’t risk it.
A resident’s only area
Where: Mallorca.
The largest of the Balearic Islands, Mallorca, has a destination hailed as a ‘typical old Mediterranean town’, Sóller.
If you’re planning on visiting there by car, you’ll need to think twice. Some locals were concerned about the number of tourists, so the council introduced a ‘residents only’ zone blacklisting hire cars from the town centre.
Across 70 hectares of the town, which spans 12 streets, only residents with registered cars will be allowed to drive, with no hire cars – or cars not registered to the area – allowed.
According to Sóller’s councillor for mobility, Pep Porcel, the new policy will ensure that visitors arriving in a car will ‘leave them parked in the car parks’ to be set up ‘next to the Desvío road.’
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Debunking the ‘three year’ tourist ban
Where: Malaga.
When: January 14, 2025.
A new three-year law introduced in Malaga has been dubbed a ‘tourist ban’ by some. The term is misleading – the law doesn’t ban tourists from anywhere. Instead, it prevents the registration of any new holiday rentals across 43 districts in the area.
The measure, introduced by Malaga City Council and Costa del Sol, is expected to last beyond the initial three years, and aims to stop the rise of holiday-rental properties in the most crowded parts of the city and give locals a better chance of finding long-term lets.
Don’t panic, you can still book hotels, Airbnbs and other accommodation as normal.
Where else has introduced the ban: Alicante, Madrid and possibly Seville.
Alcohol ban
Where: Llucmajor, Palma, Calvia (Magaluf) in Majorca and Sant Antoni in Ibiza.
When: 2024.
What: A late night drinks ban prohibiting the sale of alcoholic drinks from 9.30pm to 8am the next day was introduced last year.
The ban means you can’t just stock up on drinks before the curfew and continue drinking through the night, as you won’t be allowed to drink on public roads during these times.
And if you’re thinking ‘fine, I’ll just go to a boat party’, you might have to think again – under a law passed in 2020, party boats are not allowed to operate within one nautical mile of the designated area.
The crackdowns are an effort to save the popular resort areas from rowdy behaviour induced by excessive drinking.
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